Indonesia is burning again. The recurrence of severe fires during the 2026 El Niño should force a reassessment of how the country defines successful peatland restoration and fire management. Zero-burning policies and partial rewetting are not enough. What Indonesia needs is a strategy designed for extreme drought, unmanaged land and a changing climate.
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Indonesia has spent the past decade trying to ensure that the fire catastrophe of 2015 would not happen again. After that crisis, the country strengthened its peat fire-prevention policies. The Peatland and Mangrove Restoration Agency was set up in 2016, yet it was dissolved in 2024. Millions of dollars were invested in peat restoration. Yet Indonesia is burning again.
There is indeed inconsistency in the regulations and laws related to fires, but we have already seen how the zero-burning policy is a failure.
On paper, the message is clear: burning forests and land is prohibited. A range of forestry and environmental regulations establishes this principle, while Article 69(h) of Law No.32/2009 recognises a limited exception for clearing land, based on local wisdom. For example, regional regulations in West Kalimantan province and its Sekadau regency also recognise traditional land-clearing practices under specific safeguards. Yet in response to the fires this year, the Indonesian government once again tightened the zero-burning approach through Ministry of Environment Circular Letter No.16/2026 and Presidential Instruction No.11/2026.
Read more: bangkokpost.com
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